The Roberta A. Lawrey Heritage Room, named in honor of longtime Grand Island Public Library Director Roberta Lawrey (1959—1991), contains historical and genealogical resources covering a wide range of topics. Items in the Heritage Room may be used inside the library, but are not for loan. Click here to learn more about our remarkable librarian.

Nebraska Collection (NE)

The Nebraska Collection is contains historical volumes covering a wide-range of topics relevant to the history of Nebraska. This collection includes county and statewide histories, historical publications, folklore, native languages and more. 

Local History Collection (LH)

The Local History Collection contains all-things related to Hall County and its communities of Grand Island, Alda, Cairo, Doniphan, and Wood River. This includes commemorative and community histories, biographies of local notable individuals, and city directories. 
The City Directory collection covers 1887 to present. The most recent copy of the City Directory is held at the Reference Desk.

Lue R. Spencer Daughters of the American Revolution Collection (DAR)

The Lue R. Spencer DAR collection is the statewide library collections of the Nebraska Daughters of the Revolution, in addition to genealogical and historical materials, the DAR collection also contains DAR cemetery records, and DAR ancestry registries.

Genealogy Collection (G)

The Genealogy Collection has resource guides, family histories, and other genealogy-related items such as cemetery indexes.

Ella Sprague Collection (SPRAGUE)

The Ella Sprague Genealogical materials is a collection of items donated from the private collection of Ella Sprague. The Sprague collection contains genealogical volumes such as passenger indexes, vital records, and other items related mostly to New England States.

Prairie Pioneer Genealogical Society Collection (PPGS)

The PPGS collection is a small collection of genealogy related-materials. 

Abbott Sisters Research Collection (ABBOTT)

The Abbott Sisters collection contains books by and about Edith (for whom the Library is named) and Grace Abbott, their pioneering work in the field of social work, as well as research and interviews about the Abbott Sisters. Please ask at the Reference Desk if you wish to use this collection. 

Special Collections

The Special Collections are the oldest and most fragile books in the library. Housed in special cases, many of the items in this collection are well over 100 years old. There are also original materials related to the library, such as acquisitions ledgers, and even the gold shovel used by President Theodore Roosevelt at the groundbreaking of the original Library building. Inquire at the Reference Desk if you wish to use this collection.

Microfilm

The Grand Island Public Library holds many local historic newspapers on microfilm, including the Grand Island Independent from 1883-present. Due to a community and count-wide partnership, many of these newspapers are now also available to view for free (no library card necessary) online in the Hall County Historical Community Archive. Due to lack of availability or copyright restrictions, not all issues of some newspapers are available for viewing, however, if issues are available, the title is linked to the Archive.

Newspapers available:

• The Grand Island Independent (in its various forms/titles)

• The Grand Island Staats-Anzeiger und Herald, a German language local newspaper

• The Grand Island Free Press

• The Grand Island Times

• The Central Nebraska Republican

• The Platte Valley Independent

• The Cairo Record

• The Wood River Gazette

• The Wood River Sunbeam

• The Ravenna News

• The Wolbach Messenger

• The Shelton Clipper

• The Howard County Herald (St. Paul)

• The Phonograph Press (St. Paul)

Note: More recent editions of The Grand Island Independent, from approximately the late 1990s to present are available in the Newsbank database. This database requires a valid Grand Island Library Card to access.Click hereto visit Newsbank.

Digital Resources

In addition to the newspaper resources listed above, there is also online resources available for genealogical and historical research also available at the library:

Ancestry Library Edition(access available in-library only)
Access the billions of records available from Ancestry.com including vital records, census and military records, family histories, newspaper articles, directories and more. 

MyHeritage Library Edition
Provided to all residents of the state of Nebraska by the Nebraska Library Commissions NebraskAccess database resources, MyHeritage Library Edition also contains millions of records like census, voter, and military records and more. 

Access to NebraskAccess databases is available anywhere to anyone who lives in Nebraska. You will be asked to enter your driver’s license or state ID to access these databases.

Roberta A. “Bobbie” Lawrey, a Grand Island native and graduate of Grand Island Senior High, was the longtime Director of the Grand Island Public Library, from 1959 to 1991. Prior to her appointment to head librarian, she was the Children’s Librarian at GIPL. 

During her tenure as head of the Library, Roberta was instrumental in many changes and additions to both library services and the building itself. She oversaw the building of the new library building in 1974, established and acquired many of the genealogical resources held by the library. 

Throughout her career, Roberta was honored numerous times, including as the Grand Island Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Woman Award, The Independent’s Woman or the Year, Beta Sigma Phi Woman of the year (twice!), Grand Island Senior High Hall of Honor, and the Nebraska Library Associations Meritorious Service Award and Excalibur Award. 

Because of her many years of commitment to the library and the Grand Island and Hall County communities, it was with great honor that the Library Board and the Grand Island City Council dedicated the Heritage Room in recognition of Roberta Lawrey’s service. 

Roberta officially retired as Library Director in 1991, but continued to serve the library for many years as a cataloguer. She lived nearly all of her life in Grand Island, and passed away on July 27, 2013 at the age of 82.